Ignition system for internal-combitstion engines



Dec. 8, 1925 H. J. MOLONEY IGNITION SYSTEM EOE INTERNAL coMBUsTIoN ENGINES Filed June 5, 1920 parental Dec, 3,1925.

- UNITED STATES HERBERT' J. MoLoNEY, or cnicusediLL-moxs.-

remmen SYSTEM non' INTERNAL-comerme: ENGINE-sf Application 'mea-June 5, 1920. serial no. 386,851.

To all. 'whom it camerati Be it known that I, HERBERT J. MoLoNnY,

I a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of.

Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ignition'Systems for Internal-Combustion Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.,

This invention relates to improvement vin ignition'systems for internal combustion en es. l l

' -Elxlile of the objects of the invention is to provide means for varying theresistance o-f4 lthe secondary circuit of'an'I ignition system,

whereby to reduce the otential di'erence l between the electrodes lo the spark plug to.

- "revent vshoit circuiting thru the carbon conditions 'mentioned that the depositsof eposited betweenv said electrodes.

Another object is to provide, in a lsystem .cessive explosions. f

ofthe character described, means that may conveniently .be located' on the ,instrument board of'a self pro elledg-vehicle accessible to the operatorof t e vehicle by 'whichfthe lreducing the potel'ltial of the A indication showin istics of the ei'ectlve when taken in conjunction with the resistance'of the' seconda may conveniently bev `var1ed` and a Avisual the varying charactersparks as a result 'of such adjustment.

nother object islto provide an auxiliary intensifying'-spark gap, in the `secondary, circuit, between the transformer, o r .inducvtioncoil, and the distributor, so that any ad- 'ustment made in the secondary circuit will'.

spark plug branch eective in all of the circuits.

Another object is to provide meansfor cuit to lessenthe disastrous 'e ects `following incipient 'leaks or grounds in the -circult, due to accumulation of grease, dirt orfrom lother causes. Other, further andmore specific objects of the invention will become readilyv apparent, to persons skilled lin the art, v:from a consideration of the followingdescription,

rawwherein:-,

l g. .1 shows 'a longitudinal, sectional view of the adjusting device.

ig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a similar viewv taken on line 3- 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a conventional diagram of the secondary circuit of an ignition system` showing the location of the device,

turn to the ignitionv circuit .again increased withbettereiiciency.

arking cir- In all the views the same reference char-` y `tion being deposited between ythe electrodes thereof, the `very high potential current w1l1 pass thru the carbon deposited, without `producing an abrupt discharge thruv the spark gap within the engine, and thus lfail to fire 4the :fuel charges therein, and when the difference of potential betweenthe spark gap electrodes is reduced, the spark will re-f.

gap and properly ignite the f fuel charges.

Furthermore, I havenoticed, under the carbon will be rapidly removed by the. suc- Why these conditions prevail I am unable to state, but the fact remains that the' reduced potentialat'the spark gap will assure exploslons and clean' away the vaccumuplugs are clean' and o erating under. the maximum voltage. ey are, however,

more certain' and it is well to operate 'under -1 the less Afavorable conditions for a time un-` til the plugs have thus been thoroughly cleaned, after which the potential may be 4The visual spark, occurring at frequent regular or irregular periods, may be ohserved by the driver of the car. He there-y fore knows, or soon learns to distin ish the difference in the characteristics o the electrodes ofthe spark plugs. In the drawings, 4I have shown` the preferred means .by which my invention may be carried into eect, wherein 5 is a. casing in the form of a cylinder Vof insulating material having ends 6 and 7, preferably, of the same'material, or the material, 6 and 7 may be molded or poured into the cylinder, thus hermetically sealing the cylinder, while the closure 8 is secured to an outer plate 9. An insulatin tube 10, preferably of fiber passes thru't e-axial center of the c' linder 5 and has bearin in the ends 6 an 7.. It is lit at one .en as at 11, to produce some 'ence sc 'that the to its rota- 95 rsparks exhibited atthe indicator as to lthe kind of sparks that are'being' made at the I tion Athus eected is yieldingl'y cons taiit. O n'- I the' outer end -of the tube 10, isa knob or handle 12, having a central opening 13. 'In .the front end of the tube is a glass tube 14:, closed 'at its front end ,as at 15, so that the interior of the tube 10 may be observed by `looking thru-the closed .end of the transparent `tube 14, A small tube 16 is secured to the cylinder 5 and thruthis-a wire 1-7 vvpasses to a blade orbrush 18.'. On the tube 10 is a ring 19 upon which the brush 18, bears so' as to'carry the currentfrom the :wire 17 to a wire 20.

.passes into the -tube 10, parallel with the 20, and' the terminals of these two.

Another Wire 21 wire wires form electrodes for an auxiliary s ark gap 22which may be observed thru t eend 15. of the' tube 14.v Secured to the tube 10 iis a spring brush 23 which is con.q

nected to the wire 21. Normally 'the brushv 23 bears upontlie contact 24 which is con- 24, more or less resistance is thus-introduced ally the frame of t e'car.

`nected-t'ov a leading in wire 25' that passes thru a tubej26 into thefinterior of the cyl-v nder.` r Now; when the brush 23. is moved away from the contact 24, a spark will be pr?- 'duced between these two parts and this ark is in -serieswith the spark4 22 of thethese two sparks are un ser-. ies with thesparks of the respective spark' instrument :and

plugs. 1 The length ofthe spark made be? tween -the dili'rence of Apotential at the spark-gap o f'the lugs. I l ig./4 I vhaveshown a diagram of circuits in which 28'is a distributor and 29, '30,

31-and 32 are spark plugs," connected to the.'

distributor by branch circuits as clearly shown. 33' is the-"secondary winding Lof'. a

transformer, "or induction coil of the typ used for this purpose.' 34 ijsthe common re` tu'rn from the res ective'vspark plugs, usuv The operation of the device is clearly .ap-

parent. By changing the vdistance ofseparation between the switch terminals 23 .and

into .or removed from the inain secondary circuit andlience the diifere'nce of potential, between the-terminals ofthe spark plugs, .is

correspondingly varied.

A part' of an automobile instrument board isshownat..y f f The device may conveniently beA used for stationary engines and for engines, or 4gas f .'23 and 24- may.- be varied tochange Leganes I motors used on .other vehicles such as aero planes, boats and the like. Sealing lthe instrument, within.` which the adjustable spark is made, protects the-spark from atmosplieric changes, due to altitude, moisture andl corrosive effects of salt air,

A vVihilel have herein shown a single ernbodiment of my' 'invention for the purpose of vclear disclosure, it will'be manifest to persons skilled in the art,` that considerablev variationsmay be made in the general ar-v rangement and. conlilgluration` of the parts v within the scope oft e appended claims.

Having described my invention what I 'claim as new and desire to secure by Letters A1. YAn instrument ofth'echaracter de? scribed i comprising -a l cylinder; va rotatable tube; a contact arm carried bysaidr tube;

a relatively stationary contact cooperating by the t'ube; arelatively stationary contact" cooperatingtherewith to close an electric circuit; an observation opening thru the tube and a handle on the outside of .the lcylinder torotate the tube.

3. A11` instrument 1 of the character de'- scri'bed com rising a cylinder; a head in 'each end oft e cylinder; a rotatable tube of insulating material within the cylinder; a

stationary contact, cooperating therewith, comprising aswitc'h to close an electric circuit; aknob, outside the c linder to rotate the tube, having 'an axia perforation; a

so `contact'armcarried. by the tube; a relatively glass tube having a' yclosed-end closing saidl perforation and within the insulating tube; a sparl gap within the glas'stube and in series circuit with the aforesaid switch.

'4. A casing', a rotatable member having a Ah aiidle extending from the casing andi having ian observation. opening; av pair of'spark-ga terminals visiblelthru the opening; anot 'er pair of terminalswithin the casing' variablyr se arated -by rotation of said rotatable mem er.

In testiin ny whereof I hereunto suli-V scribe my name.

1 HERBERT J. Mo'LoNEY. 

